Walking into a sushi restaurant in Tokyo, the chef kneads the vinegared rice and puts a piece of processed fish on it. Edomae sushi sounds old-school and sophisticated.
Pushing back the time two hundred years, Edo was already a very busy big city, which is today’s Tokyo. Some people sell hot food and some fry things on the street. Sushi was once something you could buy and eat from a stall.
Nigiri sushi, tempura and eel kabayaki later became the signatures of this city. They originally had their own origins. It was in Edo that they encountered new customers, new materials and a way of eating in a hurry, and they gradually became what they are today.
Want to save time for three dishes first?The three flavors are described as follows: nigiri sushi was only popular in Edo in the early 19th century; tempura yatai has already appeared in the picture of 1781; eel kabayaki is earlier, and was written in the cookbook of 1668. It was only 1804 years later that red vinegar was introduced into sushi rice from Handa’s sake rice vinegar.
Data update: 2026 year 10 month 21 day.
How busy are Edo people’s lives? Starting from a single warrior
In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu established the shogunate in Edo, which slowly became the political center. Daimyos from various places had to travel between their territories and Edo according to the system. Many of the accompanying samurai, servants in shops, craftsmen on construction sites, and people who moved goods were single men who had left their hometowns to work. After a busy day, someone still has to take care of the meal.
Tokyo Metropolitan LibraryWrote, these people are one of the reasons why outdoor food in Jiang Jiang grew up. On the street, there are ぼてふり) selling goods along the street with poles, and there are also yatai (やたい) parked at the street entrance. For people at that time, buying a cooked meal was actually very similar to rushing into a snack bar today: it should be convenient, affordable, and full.
A fire makes street food more important
The Meiryo fire in 1657 burned the wooden Edo badly, and a long period of reconstruction followed. There are more people building houses and roads, and there are also more stalls selling barbecue and stew. After the city recovered, there were both snacks for the common people and restaurants specializing in banquets on the streets.
The fire brought a cooked food stall. Nigiri sushi is another story. It would have to wait more than a hundred years before it became popular in the early 19th century.
Edomae sushi: from street food to high-end bar
Now when it comes to sushi, it’s mostly bite-sized vinegared rice with fish. Japanese people eat sushi much longer than nigiri sushi.
Earlier cooked sushi (なれずし) relied on fermentation to preserve fish.National Diet LibraryAccording to a compiled food history, in the second half of the 17th century, restaurants in Edo were already selling tamed sushi and rice sushi. During the Horuri period (1751–1764), sour early sushi made with vinegar began to appear in restaurants and yatai. Later, someone put the rice and fish into boxes, compacted them, cut them on the stall, and then left. Holding that small piece with your hands, it slowly turned into the current nigiri sushi.
The literature does not agree on the exact date on which nigiri sushi was made. According to the Library of Congress, it is generally believed that it had gradually taken shape in the late Edo period before the Bunsei period (1818–1831). At that time, the bite was larger than what is common today, more like a street meal, and the size changed with the store and the times.
Hanaya and Hei, the man who made nigiri sushi a specialty of Edo
When talking about this section, Hanaya and Hebei (Hanaya and Hebei) will definitely appear. According to legend, he sold nigiri sushi with vinegar rice and fish ingredients in Edo, and his reputation gradually spread, and later generations often associated him with this way of eating.
At the same time, there was also Matsunori (pine bream) in the literature.Edo Tokyo MuseumWhen compiling early data, both stores appeared. Some write around 1820; some speculate from “Playing and Laughing” that the pine trees at Fukagawa Rokugenbori in the early years of civilization may have been earlier; some books regard the Bunsei period as when Hanaya and Hei started selling modern nigiri sushi. Who goes first, the order of each book is different.
Yobei is a representative figure. Nigiri sushi was introduced by many craftsmen and the city’s need to eat quickly. Sitting in front of the bar today, I watched the chef hold the rice and put the fish ingredients on it, and his gestures were still the same as those at the stall.
In an era without refrigerators, how could fish food be delicious?
What people remember about Edo-mae is not just the quickness of the hand. Without modern refrigeration, how to handle fish ingredients became a craft. The Library of Congress cites the “Morusada Manuscript”, which states that sushi ingredients in the late Edo period include prawns, white fish, tuna, small muscle (こはだ) and anago. The fatty tuna belly was not very popular at the time, so the naked fish would be dipped in soy sauce (づけ). Use salt and vinegar for the small muscles, and slowly cook the holes in a sweet and salty sauce.
Therefore, in “Edomae”, the fish is both fresh and fresh, and there are also ways to make the fish suitable for making sushi, such as pickling, boiling, and pickling. Next time you look at pickled tuna (づけまぐろ), vinegar-pickled tuna, or boiled anago (boiled anago) on the menu, those names are all connected to Edo, where there were no refrigerators.
Why is sushi rice a little brown? The brewing story behind red vinegar
The rice in some Edomae sushi restaurants is not snow-white, but a little beige-brown, and the vinegar flavor is thicker. That is often related to red vinegar (あかず). It is different from ordinary rice vinegar. Traditionally, it is made from mature rice wine meal, also called meal vinegar (かすず).
The story begins outside Jiangdu.Mizkan’s Brewing RecordsWrote, 1804, Nakano Mataemon of Owari Handa went to Edo and saw the popular early sushi in the area. At that time, rice vinegar was used for the rice. He returned to Handa and made rice vinegar from the mature wine dregs. Around 1845, high-grade rice vinegar “Yamabuki” appeared. Later, it was popularly used by nigiri sushi restaurants in Edo, and Handa’s ship transported the vinegar into Edo.
The color of sushi rice is connected with brewing, vinegar making and port. When eating, besides fish, you can also stop and smell the sour aroma. The vinegar mix varies from store to store, and the color of the rice cannot alone prove how much red vinegar is in it.
Tempura: The most unmissable aroma of fried food on the streets of Edo
Walking further along the street, the sound of the oil pan is more useful than the shouting. Tempura is related to the Nanban cuisine that was introduced via Nagasaki, via Kyoto, and then to Edo. It was first sold under the name Hu Mayang. Only during the Tenmei period (1781–1789) can you see the rooftop with the “Amatsuya” hanging on it. In 1781’s “Dream of the Great Black Silver”, in the early stage, the stalls had skewered fried food, with a high pile of mashed radish at the back.
Today’s tendon, set menu, and sitting in front of the plate to watch the chef frying the food are just the way to go on this road. The tempura in the picture of 1781 is a bunch held in the hand.
Why is tempura particularly suitable for Edo?
Edo is close to the sea, and fish and shrimps can enter the city. Customers walk to the stall and watch the ingredients being wrapped in clothes and placed in the pot. After a while, they will be hot and ready to eat. For craftsmen and merchants, this pace is just right. The smell itself is advertising.
Later, when he went into a restaurant, he paid more attention to the temperature of the oil, the thickness of the dough, and when to serve it. From a bunch on the street to a complete set meal, there are many shops in between.
Eel Kabayaki: “Edo-mae” turns out to have a story about eels
The third scent is harder to ignore. People will stop first when the sauce drips onto the charcoal fire.
Nowadays, eel rice is often considered a sit-down meal. Kabayaki appeared earlier in Edo’s dining scene.Library of CongressPoint out that the “Cuisine Shiomei Collection” of 1668 already has eel kabayaki. After that, shops in Edo would sell eels caught in nearby waters separately from “traveling eels” shipped from other places.
It turns out that “Edo-mae” was originally related to eels.
When I heard “Edomae” today, I probably thought of sushi first.Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesWhen introducing Tokyo local cuisine, I wrote that the word was first related to eels, referring to the eels caught near the mouth of Okawa (today’s Sumida River). The Library of Congress cites the 1775 “Description of Categories”: At that time, the eels in the Asakusa and Fukagawa areas were called Edo-mae.
The same word was first used to refer to eel in one place, and later it was followed by nigiri sushi to refer to the processing of fish ingredients and the style of cooking.
Why does Kanto eel rice taste so soft?
This is the first time I put eels from Kanto and Kansai together. The difference is often in the taste. The common method in Kanto is to open the back, remove the bones and internal organs, skewer it, grill it, steam it, then brush it with sauce and grill it over charcoal fire, so that the meat is softer. What is common in Kansai is that the belly is opened, grilled directly without steaming first, and the bite is clearer. Stores and stores will still have their own order.
There is a folk saying that is easy to remember: Kanto samurai tabooed seppuku, so the eel was cut from the back. Just think of it as food anecdotes. When you sit down, check for steaming, sauce, and texture of the meat.
There is also a widely circulated story about eating eels on an ugly day in the summer: Gennai Hiraga came up with a slogan for an eel restaurant that had a slow business. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries says this is a famous saying. The Library of Congress wrote that this habit already existed during the years of Ernst and Tenmei (1772–1789). In the shopping guide of 1824, Kanda Harukiya also claimed to be the originator of the ugly day. It is interesting to hear the anecdotes about how Edo merchants were very good at doing business.
Three classic delicacies, they all reflect the life of Edo people
The three courses turned out to be somewhat similar. Materials, techniques, and customer expectations have changed, and food that was once easily available has now become a craft-oriented version.
| Cuisine | Stories from the Edo period | What should you pay attention to when visiting Tokyo now? |
|---|---|---|
| Edomae nigiri sushi | It gradually became popular in the early 19th century and is suitable for being cooked and eaten on the stall. | The color of pickled tuna, ham, boiled anko, and vinegared rice |
| Tempura | In 1781, images of rooftops were already in existence. In the early days, they were often skewered. | Differences between Tendon and Freshly Fried, Pastry and Oil Temperature |
| Eel kabayaki | There are already cookbooks from 1668. In the early days, the word Edo-mae also referred to eels at the mouth of the river. | Have you steamed it first, made the sauce, and made the meat better? |
The taste of a city often begins with a group of people who are busy with life and want to get a quick meal.
When going to Tokyo, how to arrange a small trip that allows you to eat and understand history?
If you want to find a bit of Edo in Tokyo, a museum and a meal are enough. You don’t have to eat all three dishes on the same day. Choose the one you want to eat most and it will be easier to go.
Morning: Go to Ryogoku Edo-Tokyo Museum
Ryogoku Edo-Tokyo Museum in Reopened on 2026 year 3 month 31. The permanent exhibition uses models of streets and shops to show how rooftops and businesses in the city look like. After reading about hand vibrating and street food, and then looking at these street scenes, the rhythm of the city will be more concrete.
Museum ticket pageThe individual tickets for the permanent exhibition are: 800 yen for general, 400 yen for 65 and above, 480 yen for college students, graduate students and vocational school students, 300 yen for high school students, and free for junior high school students and below. The third Wednesday of every month is Silver Hair Day. People over the age of 65 can see the permanent exhibition for free, but must bring proof of age. Free admission is also available for handicap handbag holders and up to two accompanying persons.
The special exhibition “Toyotomi Brothers” will be on view until 2026, 11, and 8. General admission is 2,100 yen. High school and junior high school students and below are free. It was a theater exhibition and was priced separately from the permanent street scene. Free admission on Silver Day only counts for permanent exhibitions, and this special exhibition is not free on that day.
Opening timeIt is 9:30–17:30, Saturday to 19:30, admission stops 30 minutes before closing. We are closed on Mondays; if Monday is a holiday or a compensatory holiday, we will be closed the next day. It is also closed at the end of the year and the beginning of the year. Open to 20:00 on the four Fridays of 2026, 11, 6, 13, 20, and 27. On the same day, you can use cash, transportation IC, credit card, electronic payment or QR at the 1 floor window; online Webket accepts designated credit cards and PayPay. It takes about 3 minutes to walk from the west exit of Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line and 1 minutes on the Toei Oedo Line. The library’s telephone number is 03-3626-9974.
Afternoon: Choose an Edo dish you want to eat the most
Just pick one in the afternoon. For sushi, check the menu to see if there are pickled tuna, sashimi, or boiled anago. It looks like the tempura is freshly fried or already placed on the counter. You can start with the Kanto style eel, which is steamed and then grilled.
Nihonbashi, Asakusa and Ryogoku are all suitable starting points. The streets today are different from those in Edo, and you can still think of it as a place where goods enter the city from the river and sea. Popular restaurants often require reservations in advance, some only accept cash, and have different holidays. This article does not specify the menu or seats for any restaurant.
From the streets of Edo to today’s Tokyo, be prepared when you go out to find delicious food
Edo people can find stalls wherever they go on the street corner. Now I mostly open a map, check menus and make reservations at the station exit, and then confirm the train back to the hotel.
- Save the addresses of Ryogoku stations and museums first, and you can check them when transferring.How to transfer on the Tokyo subway. Both countries have both the JR and Toei Oedo Lines.
- The museum window accepts transportation ICs and credit cards. Please check the payment method firstJapanese cash and credit cards.
- For stores with reservations, please leave a screenshot of the reservation letter and address. Offline maps are also downloaded first.
- For checking routes, reading menus, and sending messages, the total type or daily type is usually sufficient. Will keep uploading videos, watch them againAll-you-can-eat speed limit planHow to divide.
Plans can arrive firstJEKO Japan eSIMCompare traffic volume, days, and activation methods. Whether it supports 4G/5G and whether it can share hotspots depends on the specifications on the product page.
This page is compared to:Tokyo Metropolitan Library,National Diet Library,Information on nigiri sushi at the Edo-Tokyo Museum,Mizkan Vinegar Making History,Eel kabayaki from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
FAQ
Was Edomae sushi really sold at roadside stalls in the past?
There is a sushi bar, and the appearance of the stall is not exactly the same as today’s nigiri sushi. There are already sushi stalls in the 1786 prints; the kind held by hand was only popular in Edo in the early 19th century.
Is Hanaya Yohei the inventor of nigiri sushi?
He is a representative figure, and there is also Matsushita in the literature. Both the Edo-Tokyo Museum and the Edo-Tokyo Museum write about which one comes first, and the order of each book is different.
Where did “Edo-mae” first refer to?
It was first related to eels in the Sumida River estuary. Later, it was also used to refer to the fish processing and cooking style of sushi.
What is the difference between red vinegar and ordinary rice vinegar?
Traditional red vinegar is often brewed from mature wine residue, and its color and aroma are thicker than rice vinegar. 1804 The early sushi Nakano Mataemon saw in Edo used rice vinegar, and the rice vinegar was made only after he returned to Handa.
Was sushi in the Edo period all sashimi?
Not just raw fish. Naked tuna marinated in soy sauce, tuna marinated in vinegar, and boiled tuna were all treatments that existed at that time.
Did tempura start in the Edo period?
It is related to the Nanban cuisine that was introduced earlier, and the Edo yatai is what it looked like later. The stalls with tempura signs did not clearly appear in the picture until 1781 years later, and most of them were sold in skewers.
What is the difference between eels in Kanto and Kansai?
In Kanto, it is common to steam it first and then charcoal grill it with sauce, so that the meat is softer; in Kansai, it is common to grill it directly without steaming it first. There are popular sayings such as back-opening and “samurai taboo hara-kiri”, but the practice will still differ from store to store.
Where is the best place in Tokyo to learn about this type of food?
You can first look at Ryogoku’s Edo-Tokyo Museum permanent exhibition, and then choose one of sushi, tempura or eel. General admission for permanent exhibitions is 800 yen, closed on Mondays; special exhibitions are priced separately.
